thanks for watching. welcome bah al jazeera america. i'm stephanie sy here are the stories we're following for you. >> god thank you for the gift of [ inaudible ]. thank you for watchi watching -- letting us know we can become. >> across the globe people are celebrating the life of nelson mandela. a new report reveals the jobs picture is brightening, and unemployment is falling. and a major ice storm sweeps across the country, cutting

power and delaying travel. across the world people are remembers nelson mandela. there is mourning. but also celebration for the life of a man who changed a nation and became a global icon by sheer force of character. there will be public remembrances for the next week and a half culminating in a state funeral. nick reports from johannesberg. >> reporter: for south africans today is for mourning. madeba as he was known widely was the father of this country. >> somehow we believe that [ inaudible ] but we'll have to accept the humble request of

[ inaudible ] to come together and mourn. >> reporter: he might have been sick for a long time, but people here are still shocked. they have lost a revolutionary leader. >> even though one knew that this day would come because of his age, there still is a huge sense of loss, a deep sense of emptiness. >> reporter: in a black village about 30 miles from here where he and his wife lived young and old, white and black remembered his generation of spirit. >> i'm just glad he did all he did for us, and hopefully we continue the legacy as the youth and the remaining africans.

president obama joined leaders around the world in mourning the death of nelson mandela. the white house says the president and the first lady will travel to south africa to at ten the state funeral. the two met in 2005 when obama was a senator in illinois. the president travelled to south africa in june but he was too ill to meet with mandela. libby casey joins us now. >> gratitude and so much remembrance has come pouring in from all over washington. president obama recalled how as a young man he was first inspired to political action back in college by going to an anti apartheid rally. and he talked about the role model that mandela.

the president yesterday remembered his words that nelson mandela said he wanted to see an ideal, a society where there was democracy and freedom for all. >> nelson mandela lived for that ideal, and he made it real. he achieved more than could be expected of any man. and said he has gone home. and we have lost one of the most influential, courageous and profoundly good human beings with on this earth. he no longer belongs to us. he belongs to the ages. >> remembrances also come in from past presidents. stephanie? >> and libby several members of

congress also expressing their admiration for mandela. >> i don't think there's one member of congress we haven't heard from. and also people taking inspiration from his political role. john boehner put out a statement today and yesterday that said this . . . nelson mandela addressed joint sessions of congress back in 1990 and 1994, and while all of the outpouring of praise is so positive then, back then it was controversial to some. a couple of members of congress k a wally boycotted his speech.

it took an act of congress to go forth because president reagan tried to veto sanctions. they called the anc a terrorist organization. however, democrats and republicans came together and imposed those sanctions as it was seen as a point of leverage trying to put some economic pressure on south africa to cf1 oapartheid and free nelson >> some real complexities there. libby casey thank you. ♪ some encouraging news for jobs and the economy today, patricia sabga has the details of the much better than expected november employment reports. >> reporter: for the second

straight month the u.s. job market showed signs of improve. the economy added 203,000 jobs in november lowering the unemployment rate to 7%. labor secretary says the numbers indicate the economic recovery is gaining strength. >> we have now had 45 consecutive months of private sector job growth to the tune of 8 million plus jobs. roorp while the numbers are encouraging, analysts say we still have a long way to go? >> to get to full employment we estimate the economy is going to have to create between 200 and 225,000 jobs per month for the next couple of years. >> reporter: but that may be difficult to achieve. the recovery is still on shaky ground with small businesses sees a slowdown in sales for the year. that is significant, because those businesses create about

two-thirds of new jobs. ly hard hit has been the retail sector. despite slashing prices and opening their doors thanksgiving day, retailers posted disappointing sales in november. >>no carrierringringno carrierr0

[ technical difficulties ] >> trying to get a flight, because most of their flights were canceled. 330 fights from airlines out of dfw have canceled today. american airlines have canceled a thousand flights across the country. outside of the airport, again, pretty treacherous driving conditions we have had. one fatality, a number of pile ups and fender benders. it's one of those days where the department of transportation says if you don't have to drive,

please don't. teachers and students will get a three-day weekend out of this, but otherwise there is not a way to put a happy face on this day. >> mike snyder at dfw, thank you, mark. >> stephanie this system is very large. it extents not only across texas and also into arkansas but also into portions of the northeast where the rain is coming down right now. it's this rain that is going to switch over to snow and freezing rain later tonight. you can see it stretching across the virginias. but let's make our way further into the south into arkansas where we're going to have to continue to deal with freezing rain during the day. the rain is going to switch over to snow in upstate new york later today. we could see anywhere from 4 to 8 inches of snow.

major differes between memphis and atlanta. freezing rain coming down along the roadways and folks are highly -- not encouraged to drive at all. stephanie back to you. >> coming up your top business headlines plus more on that icy storm causing massive power outages and travel problems. and we continue to honor the life and legacy of the great nelson mandela. here are some of the sentiments shared by current leaders from around the world. ♪ >> our nation has lost its greatest son. our people have lost a father. >> we have lost one of the most influential, courageous, and profoundly good human beings that any of us will share time with on this earth. >> he also was a great debater.

his mind was sharp at 70 as it was at 40 it seems. >> nelson mandela was not just a hero of our time, but a hero of all time. a man who suffered so much for freedom and justice. >> he touched our lives in deeply personal ways. nelson mandela showed what is possible for our world, and within each one of us, if we believe mean can walk together for justice and humanity. >> he passed on peacefully in the company of his family. he is now resting. he is now at peace. ♪

some of the headlines from

around the world there. welcome to al jazeera america. i i'm stephanie sy. mandela inspired people around the world. in london mourners have gathered outside of the south africa embassy. phil ittner joins there live now. phil many people have a strong connection with nelson mandela. what has the reaction been like there? >> well, stephanie, the reaction has been significant. it -- the -- the folks here in this line at the south african embassy, waiting to sign a book of condolences despite the chill into the air and having gone into the evening hours, they are still lining up. we have had a number of

dignitaries here as well, including the mayor of london, and of course prime minister david cameron came to sign the book, and he took some time out to mark the historic nature of this day. >> tonight families across britain will mourn with his family and everyone in south africa. your greatest son has moved millions, and i believe that his inspiration for the future will be every bit as powerful as the extraordinary things that he achieved in his remarkable life. >> reporter: stephanie generally the mood here has been of a mixed one. ment some of -- you know, some sadness, obviously, but a lot of celebration, marking the achievements of nelson mandela. >> he lived a long life and i know there are a lot of south

africans there in london. phil ittner thank you. >> now let's take a moment to catch up on some of the top business stories making business today. the bulls are back in the driver's seat today. two iconic companies are being looked at by government regulators. they are investigating the finances of jcpenney, and officials are checking the accounting practices of barnes & noble. sears is shedding another one of its business. it will spin off its lands end clothing line into a separate company. even with today's positive employment numbers, about 11 million americans remain out of work. but since the great recession,

women have fared better than men in fining results. as a result some women are opting to stay single and financially independent. >> reporter: marian got married at 16, left her husband at 19, and she has beenlying on her own ever since. wanda was married and then divorced a few years later. neither regrets being single now. >> i like to provide for myself. i'm not going to depend on a man. >> i don't think that i would have stepped out as boldly and been as successful had i still been married. that's kind of sad to say, but i think that's true. >> these women reflect two striking trends in america's family profile. the marriage rate has fallen sharply. divorce has become more common over the same period.

marian and wanda also represent the economic disparities among american women. they haven't been used in in probably the past 30 or 40 years, and now they are going to be developed into affordable housing. successful, one-person business in construction and housing development, marian has just gone back to work after kicking a long-term drug hab it. >> it was hard especially for a person that was an addict trying to be employed and just living a rough life my whole life. >> marian is among the four in ten women who's income falls below the government standard for economic security. but for women like wanda that's

not a big concern. >> i would have loved to have done this while i was married and have had a sense of security from that, but i don't feel insecure in what i'm doing. >> and neither sees a new man in their future, yet. >> i'm not focused on that right now. >> i have found peace in in ways of prayer or meditation. nelson mandela was a passionate sports fan and he actually trained to be a boxer. still ahead, how mandela used one venue to bring people together and spread his message. ñ

welcome back to al jazeera america. i'm stephanie sy. here are today's headlines. as the world mourns nelson mandela's death, south africa is preparing for his funeral. the 95-year-old anti-apartheid leader died yesterday at his home in johannesberg. mangd will be buried following a

state funeral on sunday december 15th. the white house says the president and the first lady will travel to south africa to at ten his funeral. the u.s. economy added more than 200,000 jobs in november. the unemployment rate dipped to 7%. it's lowest point in five years. back to our top story and a bit of information that not everyone may know. nelson mandela was a passionate sports fan. he trained to be a boxer and understood the name of the game. he once said that sports has the power to change the world, the power to inspire and unite people in a way that little else does. and last night, the nba paid tribute to nelson mandela with a moment of silence. >> i remember as a kid my parents -- he was the one person who when you hear his name

everything stops. he gets the ultimate respect from everybody. >> i think thing that sticks out about him is here he goes to jail for 27 years and comes out aet -- a better person, a better leader, and was able to make a sure difference in south africa. >> tiger woods and his late father earl had the privilege of meeting nelson mandela back in 1988. he said that mandela's aura had a lasting impact. >> he certainly had an impact on my life and certainly my father, and i think that time frame in which he came out, could have -- the country could have fallen apart, and he lead it to where it's at now, and, you know, he -- and the world is

going to miss him. >> and in 1995, nelson mandela used the world cup of rugby to unite a racially divided south africa. he also brought the world cup of soccer to south africa in 2010 which is the biggest event in sports, something that would have never happened without him. he said that sports had the power to change the world, and he proved it. ♪ we continue to see ice falling across portions of dallas-fort worth up to memphis, tennessee and little rock arkansas. we urge folks to use caution. we could see additional ice. we have warnings in this effect until 9:00 tonight. >> thank you for watching al

jazeera, i'm stephanie sy. "the stream" is next.